In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s usage of letters allows the reader

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In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s usage of letters allows the reader

to fully comprehend the situation and certain feelings of the characters.

The Usage of Jane’s Letters in Pride and Prejudice

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s usage of letters allows the

reader to fully comprehend the situation and certain feelings of the

characters. For example, the two letters sent by Jane Bennet to

Elizabeth Bennet in Chapter 46 allow the novel to arrive at a turning

point in many different aspects. The obvious purpose of the written

letters is to inform the reader of the events at hand regarding Lydia

Bennet and Mr. Wickham. However, these letters allow changes to take

place in other relationships as well.

Jane Bennet illustrates herself much in the letters that she

composes. She is constantly optimistic and trusts people immensely,

shown in the lines “But I am willing to hope the best, and that his

character has been misunderstood.” Jane is constantly considering the

feelings of other people and she conveys that she does not like to

impose on others. She states in the second letter, “Now as the first

shock is over, shall I own that I long for your return? I am not so

selfish, however, as to press for it, if inconvenient.” Even in her

opening statement in the first distressed letter Jane states, “I am

afraid of alarming you-be assured that we are all well.” These

statements easily show her compassion and consideration for others.

When describing the state of the rest of the family because of Lydia’s

actions, Jane precedes each of their names with the word “poor.” For

example, she writes “my poor mother is really ill and keeps to her

room,” and “Poor Kitty has anger for having concealed their

attachmen...

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...y because of the incorrect address is vital in conveying

Jane’s emotions to the reader.

It is apparent that Jane Austen intended these two solitary letters to

play a vital role in the novel. These letters single-handedly brought

on the climax of the novel and allowed many different relationships to

develop. If the letters were not available to the reader or even

simply mentioned, the novel would be lacking in a connection with the

reader. These letters convey emotions and worries that otherwise

might not be discussed in person, such as the negative comments about

Mr. Wickham and his supposed intentions for Lydia Bennet. The letters

also allow the reader to personally imitate the internal reactions of

the original receiver in the novel. Jane Bennet’s two letters to

Elizabeth certainly fulfill these literary functions and are quite

essential to the novel.

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